[TenTec] Orion T/R Question, News

[Jim Reid]

Grant suggested calling Ten Tec for answers; excellent
thought,  so I did this morning.

Good news,  for us non-TT linear owning  folks:

Had a nice chat with Scott, who of course did not have the
detailed answer at the tip of his tongue,  so he went off
to the engineers and came back with answers to the
questions:

#1.
How long after key down (when the T/R relay signal is sent
over to the linear rig relays) does the Orion begin to ramp
up the output power?  

Answer:  About 20 milliseconds.....

Hooray,  that is plenty of time for the contact bounce/vibrations
to damp out on both sides of the linear,  so hot switching chances
eliminated.  The "about"  is a result of component tolerances in
the timing circuit.

#2.
What is the External T/R delay a percentage of??

Answer:  about 1 second; so the default 20% delay
is about 200 milliseconds and 100% is about 1 full
second.  Again about because of component tolerances.
Or plenty of time for the linear to finish "burping" out any
residual RF before the relay contacts are allowed to 
open again.

#3.
Not a question,  but I did mention my QSK-5 problem to Scott,
giving the "lack" of that unit in my lash up as the source of my
concern about these timing issues.  

Scott laughed and said I was not alone!  Over the years,  Ten
Tec has had many calls from those as I am without a TT linear
using the -5 to attempt QSK operation with those linears.
Scott advised that the problems I reported were exactly
identical to all the others -- rcv'g goes deaf,  very high
vswr at times -- all problems evidently having to do with the
open frame relays used in the QSK-5 assembly (the unit
bought as an after market doodad to attempt QSK when
using non-QSK linears).  Ten Tec's standard response now:
forget the thing,  and be rid of it!!  (Hope I am not actually
putting words into Scott's mouth,  but the jist was similar).

#4.
Shipping status of Orions from Prod. Lot 2?

Answer:  Shipping began last Thursday for Orions WITH
the ATU installed.  Plan is to begin shipping Orions about
the middle of next week to those of us who did not order a 
built in ATU.

Interesting shipping week for us out here in Hawaii.  Next
week is the heaviest volume shipping of the entire year from
Hawaii to the US mainland!  Why?  Mother's Day is the following
Sunday.  My son will ship more boxes of tropical flower gifts
next week than any other week of the year;  and so will all
the other providers of tropicals and orchids, leis, pineapples,
Hawaiian nick narks,  etc.

Fed Ex actually brings their largest plane of all out here,
parks it down on the Big Island at Hilo,  then flies small shuttle
craft from each of the other islands where the big plane is
filled next Monday,  Tuesday and Wednesday.  Only items
shipped to the West Coast will go out on Thursday,  for
delivery on Friday (or Saturday if the buyer will pay the
Fed Ex ransom for Saturday service,  hi.).

Perhaps one of those Fed Ex planes coming out here nearly
empty next week will be not quite empty;  one of them maybe
carrying my new Orion to its' new home in KH6 land!

73,  Jim  KH7M